by Lora Edwards
Delphine woke the next morning and slipped out of bed, again dressing in the warm wool pants and cloak. She slipped out the door and out of the castle, picking her way down the steep stone steps to where the water lapped at their base. Removing her boots and clothing, she put them in a bag she had brought for that purpose and stared at the water for a long moment. She was not sure how this would work now. Before, she would dive in and her legs became a powerful appendage. Now with the magic of the tattoo, she had the will to change, and she was frightened for the first time in her life. What if she lost the Siren part of herself? What if she wasn’t able to change?
Shivering in the frigid air, she needed to make a choice before she froze to death.
“What you wish will come to pass, warrior. Take the plunge,” whispered a deep voice, speaking in her thoughts. She shivered as she felt the caress of a callused hand across her cheek.
Delphine took a deep breath and closed her eyes, mentally summoned the image of herself in Siren form, and jumped into the frigid sea. Immediately the familiar fiery burn of the change was on her. She arced out of the water and splashed back down, diving deep, reveling in her newfound freedom.
Delphine drifted in the water, finding herself wondering what it would be like to swim as a human. She had never been in the water without her tail. As if her thoughts willed it, she felt the fiery pain of the change take over. She floundered, not knowing how to swim with human legs. She dragged herself onto the nearest rock, breathing heavily.
“This is going to take some getting used to,” Delphine said to the empty sea. She pictured her tail once more, only to hear a deep chuckle rumble through her mind. It appeared she was no longer just connected to those of her own kind but also to the mighty Odin. It was something to keep in mind, and something that may come in handy one day. Her scales flashed in the sun as her legs morphed into her tail again. She lazily swam in the cobalt water, her body quickly adjusting to the frigid waters of the sea. Having tested her theory, she swam to the rocky ledge, heaved herself out of the water, and again initiated the change. Exhausted from multiple form changes, she dried off and quickly slipped into her clothes then trudged back to the castle to pack her things and join the others in order to return to the institute.
Delphine unlocked the door to her apartment, desperate to fall into her bed. She’d had a pleasant conversation with Flynn in the coach on the way back to the station where they crossed back into the library at the institute. She had bade him good day at the door, telling him of her exhaustion from the many form changes. He had told her he would call her later and then went on his way with a smile and a flash of his dimples.
She was too tired to think about the phone call later or his slightly nervous behavior. All she could think of was that she was ravenous and needed a nap.
Dropping her things in the entryway of her apartment, she went straight to the kitchen to rustle up a snack. Opening the refrigerator, she almost wept in relief. There in the middle was a bowl of pasta salad with a note propped up against it.
Delphine,
I left you a little snack. All that traveling has to make a girl hungry. I will be here at six to cook your dinner. I can’t wait to hear all the details of the wedding.
Mrs. Sanderson
Delphine smiled as she pulled the dish out of the refrigerator and grabbed a fork to dig in as she wandered into the dining room. She closed her eyes in pleasure as creamy flavors hit her tongue. Mrs. Sanderson had been introducing her to different foods since she had come to the institute, and she had fallen in love with pasta salad. This particular incarnation was made with lobster and crab interspersed with crunchy vegetables and pasta, all covered in a creamy sauce. Delphine sank into one of the French art deco mahogany dining chairs, the back upholstered to simulate the swirls of a conch shell in a soft aqua blue. She placed her bowl on the polished mahogany top of a round table sat atop four wrought iron sea horses placed around a twisted dark mahogany base and quickly finished the delicious salad. Mrs. Sanderson had become a friend over the last few weeks, and she looked forward to enjoying an excellent dinner, filling Mrs. Sanderson in on the wedding festivities, and getting her advice on her growing feelings for Flynn.
Delphine put it all to the back of her mind as she walked back to the bedroom. Pulling off her clothes and crawling into her bed, she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
The insistent beeping of her cell phone woke her from sleep. Delphine groggily looked around her room, noticing that the light had started to fade. Visible through her window, the pinks and oranges of the sunset bled across the sky. Pushing the hair out of her face, she sat up, and she could smell something wonderful cooking. Looking at the phone, she saw it was six thirty; she had been asleep for five hours.
Stretching, she opened the text message from Flynn with a flutter underneath her heart.
Flynn: I hope you had a good rest. I was wondering if you would like to get together to discuss some theories about where the society people might be holding the captives.
Delphine stared at the message, trying to decipher the intent behind it. Was he asking her out on a date? Did he simply want to discuss theories with someone who knew the case?
Delphine squinted. She was overanalyzing it—he probably just wanted to work on the case. Even though she thought he had sent signals that he was interested, that could just be his way of being friendly.
Irritated with herself, she typed back a reply of yes and the where and when. She would meet him the next day in the little coffee shop downstairs. The institute really was its own little town inside the huge building. They would have coffee and discuss theories, that was it.
Delphine left the phone on the bed and followed her nose down the hall. She would have some of Mrs. Sanderson’s delicious food and tell her all about the wedding.
Chapter 4
Flynn looked down at the response on his phone and smiled. She’d accepted, a step in the direction he was hoping to steer her in. There was a legend in his family that said when a Kirk found their soulmate, it was like a punch of lightning. He had never believed it was true until he had heard Delphine singing through the wall at Stanton Manor. He had felt the zing all the way to his toes and had yet to even see her face. In the following days as they tried to work out an escape plan, they had talked of everything and nothing. Though he still hadn’t set eyes on her, he’d known she was his soul mate.
Now he just had to convince her of that, and it was lucky they would be going on a mission together. Granted, it would not be as cozy as he would have hoped with Ovidia and Erik along, possibly even Bran and Teagan, but the society needed to be stopped, and he knew Armand would not skimp on resources to take them into custody.
He would look forward to coffee and take another baby step; he thought he had detected
some interest. He had gotten the impression she found him attractive, if some of her blushes were to be believed. He would have to convince her that staying at the institute with him after this mission was concluded would be a good plan.
Delphine perused her almost empty walk-in closet. She really needed to get with Ovidia to shop for more clothes that were appropriate to this time. They had gone on a quick shopping trip for just a few basics and had planned for a major trip, but then Erik had proposed and their time had been spent putting together Ovidia’s wedding. Now that they were back and things were more settled, she would have to contact Ovidia in order to get some shopping time in. She found a pair of skinny jeans, pairing them with a sweater the color of the Caribbean and a pair of shiny black knee-high boots with a blocky heel.
A quick application of lip gloss and she was ready to go to her coffee meeting with Flynn. Delphine wiped her suddenly damp hands on the sides of her jeans. What was she so nervous about? She was having a meeting with a work colleague, not going on a date. She smirked at her reflection in the mirror before leaving the bathroom and then walked across her apartment. She was attracted to him, but a relationship di
d not fit into her plans. She had big decisions to make about her future in the coming months. Armand had hinted while they were dancing at the wedding that the institute would be glad to have her permanently. She had valuable skills and she would be the first Siren to join the institute. They didn’t have many water supernaturals, so her skills would be invaluable on certain missions. She could see herself staying there, becoming part of the fabric of the place, but there was also her duty to her father. She had responsibilities to her kingdom that she couldn’t just forget about because she wanted a life of adventure and travel.
Pushing the button for the elevator, she shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind. There would be time for those decisions at a later date; for the time being she would just enjoy her new freedom in this fascinating place, spend time with her new friends, and when the time was right, crush those who thought they could enslave the supernatural community.
Walking into the coffee shop, her heart skipped a beat. Flynn sat at a corner table, watching for her. Delphine waved and he smiled as he saluted her with his paper coffee cup. She stepped up to the counter to greet the barista, Sari, and ordered a chai tea latte. Sari’s chai lattes would definitely be one of the things she would miss if she left the institute.
“Here you go Delphine.” Sari winked as she handed her the drink. The barista always added a bit of fae magic to her beverages, giving them a delicious flavor boost. Delphine smiled at the sight of her slightly pointed ears peeking out of her Titian-colored hair.
“Thanks Sari.” Delphine took a sip of her drink as she walked over to the table where Flynn sat. She closed her eyes for a brief second in appreciation; Sari’s fae magic put a special twist in the chai, and the spicy drink had become Delphine’s favorite morning brew since coming to the institute.
“That good huh,” Flynn asked, flashing a dimple as Delphine took her seat across from him.
“Sari has a way with chai,” Delphine responded as she set her cup down.
“Sari has a way with making drinks, period. That woman is a magician.” Flynn chuckled as he sipped his own creation. “How are things, Delphine,” he asked.
“They are great. I love being here, and this lull in the action is allowing me to get my bearings around the institute and London. Having spent most of my life on an isolated island in the middle of the ocean, it’s all so new. There are so many sights and sounds, and Teagan has introduced me to so many good books! Don’t get me started on the books.” Delphine’s eyes shone with excitement at the mention of all the new stories Teagan had suggested, both fiction and non-fiction.
“It’s good you like it here at the institute. I always tend to get antsy between missions, and I am hoping for a break in the society case so we can get back to it. All this sitting around and waiting is driving me up the wall.”
“I don’t think you can drive up a wall, Flynn—at least not that I’ve seen.” She frowned, wrinkling her nose.
He let out a deep chuckle, a sparkle in his green eyes. “It’s just an expression meaning I am done with the waiting and ready for some action.”
“Where do you think they could have gone,” Delphine asked, getting down to the topic at hand.
“I believe they are right under our noses. The people who were sympathizers of Stanton bought into his skewed view of supernaturals. We have been unable to detect any evidence they can time travel, so they have to be somewhere in Blackbeard’s time,” Flynn said, running his hands through his hair in frustration.
“The local chapter of the institute is looking high and low for any trace of them, as Armand told us in the last briefing,” Delphine said, sipping her coffee.
“Yes, yes, they are letting the locals handle this piece. Armand believes it will be good for relations with the other branches of the institute. I do imagine it is hard for them to always have these blokes from the future riding in and taking over their investigations.”
“Now that you bring it up, that is something I have been puzzled about—why do the people from the present go and interrupt the work of the institute in the past? Couldn’t Armand just reach out to them and have them deal with whatever disaster is taking place in their own timeline,” Delphine asked.
“It would make sense for us to leave them to their own investigations, but there just aren’t enough of them in each timeline. The institute has grown over the years and they don’t have access to the vast amounts of training and knowledge available to us. Think of the others as little outposts. They are able to handle the little skirmishes, aye, but when there is something this big, they call in the special forces,” Flynn explained then sat back to take a sip of his coffee.
“Makes sense. It’s like when my father called in the institute to help when Stanton and his followers kidnapped me. We can handle threats to our island, but he needed the resources of the institute to rescue me. We have a limited number of warriors, and the island could not be left weakened or we would be open to attack. In addition, our knowledge of the outside world is very limited.”
“Under attack? Who would attack Sirens?” Flynn looked at her incredulously.
“Flynn, you do not believe that all mermaids and Sirens coexist peacefully, do you,” she said, amused by his shocked look.
“I did.”
“Are all other races always kind to each other? Do you think the Viking demigod clans do not war with each other, or the dragons or vampires?”
“Well, yes, but the dragons and the Vikings, they just like to fight, and the vampires nurse grudges like they do their own children, but there are so few of you.”
Delphine laughed, the sound silvery and melodic, causing heads to turn toward them throughout the cafe.
“Flynn, there are more of us than you think, pods of mermaids in different lands. There is a pod in Kvenland. There are mermaid pods and Sirens in Faery, and many of the Sirens from my island have chosen to leave and live among the mermaids, the humans, or in other distant lands. You cannot really believe we all get along? Sirens sing men to their deaths, and the mermaids can be quite vicious if they believe they are being threatened. Wars have been fought over territory, over policy when dealing with humans, over other things large and small. Some mermaids believe the Sirens are an abomination and wish to eradicate us. Just like all different flavors and temperaments of humans and other supernaturals, we have our ugly sides as well,” she finished, taking a long drink of her chai while watching him over the rim of her cup.
Fascinated, Flynn sat back in his chair, contemplating the kind, fierce, intelligent, and beautiful woman seated in front of him. Was it any wonder she was the one for him? He could see them many years from now in the same place having some debate over Siren or shifter issues, maybe even where one of their children would attend university. He stopped himself short—he was getting ahead of himself again.
“Flynn,” Delphine asked tentatively. He was staring at her with a small smile on his face and had not responded to her last comment.
“Oh, sorry—my mind wandered off for a minute. What were you saying?” He flashed that dimple again, making her heart flutter.
“I was saying you can’t let the beauty of our race fool you. Evil does not always wear the guise of the crone.”
“I think evil hides in all kinds of places,” he murmured just as both of their cell phones beeped at the same time.
Flynn picked his up and grinned.
Bran: My wife has decided a dinner is in order to discuss the society case. It will be at our flat tomorrow evening at seven. Please let me know if you can make it.
“Did you just get a text from Bran,” Flynn asked.
“No, from Teagan. Dinner at their place at seven tomorrow to discuss the society case,” Delphine asked with raised eyebrows.
“I got the same thing. It’s a date,” he said without thinking. Delphine gave him a surprised look and he felt his cheeks heat up. “I didn’t mean that kind of date…unless you want to go as my date or something—never mind, forget I said
anything.”
Delphine smiled as Flynn tripped all over himself. She thought it was so cute.
“I know what the expression means. See you tomorrow at the Dragos flat.” She smiled and winked at him before standing up from the table and walking out of the coffee shop.
Flynn followed behind her, stopping to toss out his empty cup.
“You better snap that girl up while the snapping is good,” Sari said from behind the bar.
“All in good time, my friend. All in good time,” Flynn replied. “You can keep that between the two of us for now, can’t you love,” he asked, leaning on the counter.
Sari mimed zipping her lips and winked before returning to her customers. Flynn knew she was as good as her word. They had gone out a few times when she had come over from Faery, and found there wasn’t any spark, but had remained good friends.
He left the coffee shop, whistling as he walked. He was looking forward to the dinner; being able to bandy the case about with the sharp minds of his friends would be fun. As an added bonus, he would get to spend more time with Delphine, so it was a win-win.